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H.. D. B. LEFPER'TS. DEVICE PoR SUSPENDING GURTAINS.

No. 352,953. Patented Nov. V.23, 18.86.

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H. D. B. LBPPBRTS. DEVICE FOR SUSPENDING CURTAINS.

No. 352,953. Patente-1vov-lza 1886.-

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HQD. B. LB-PPERTS.' DEYIQE POR SUSPENDING 'URTAINS5- No. 352,953. l Patented Nov. 23', 1886.

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' UNITED' STATES APATENT OFFICE.

HENRY D. B. LEFFERTS, OF NEW'BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY.r

DEVICE Fon susPENDlNe CURTAINS.

SPECIFICATION forming'part of Letters Patent No. 352,953, dated November 23, 1886.

Application ined March 12, 1886.

To all whom it may concern,.-

"Be it known that I, HENRY D. B. LEEEERTs, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Brunswick, in the county of Middlesex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Suspending Portires, Curtains, and the Like; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to means for suspending portire or other fabrics in such manner that they may be readily drawn apart without touching the material itself, and as quickly restored to the closed position without exertion on behalf of the operator.

The particulars of my invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, where- 1n f Figure l represents an elevation of a doorcasing and door, in front of which a portire is suspended, the portire-bar being shown in longitudinal sect-ion. Fig. 2 represents a front elevation of the same, and Fig. 3 a side elevation. Fig. 4 represents a rear elevation of a cornice behind which a portire or curtain fabric is suspended, and illustrates amodified form of the means employed for suspending the same. Fig. 5 is a cross-section upon the line 5 5 y0f Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a detail longitudinal sectional -view of the end fastening shown in Fig. Lifand Fig. 7 is a detail longitudinal sectional view of the end pieces shown in Fig. l. Fig. 8 represents in elevation a door, door-casing, and suspended curtain, the latter being supported and operated in accordance with a further modification of my invention, shown in section and partial'elevation.,

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views.

A represents the door-casing, and A the door, in front of which are hung the door curtains or portires B B", suspended from a series of rings, C, by means of hooks d in the ordinary manner. The ring C rests upon a hollow bar, D, closed at its ends by the ornamental end caps, E ELhaving openings e 'e,`respectively, through which the drawing.- cords ff extend.

Within the body of the hollow bar,`and at Serial No. 194,989. Y (No model.)

each end thereof, are fastened springs G G', the inner ends of said springs being connected to lugs-h upon the'end caps, E E', and the forward `ends of said springs being attached in 'like manner to slotted blocks ortravelers J J The mode of attachment of the springs to these pieces may, however, be varied in any suitable manner, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

The end caps, E E', are fastened within the bar by means of the -removable fasteningscrews g g', and the bar itself is maintained in position by means of the brackets L L' and clampig set-screws Z Z. In their stretched position the springs G G are extended in such manner as to bring the traveling blocks J J to the center of the hollow bar, thereby closing the curtain fabrics, as represented in Fig. 2. The bar itself is slotted at its'upper part, and

through this slot extend upwardly the pins or projections mm. To these pins are connected in any suitable manner, as by small wires, the terminal rings of the portire fabric. The pins are preferably screw-threaded, as shown, and extend through the pieces J J', forming means of attachment for the cords f f. The said cords are for convenience wound upon pins o o, attached to the door-casing, and rings P I are connected with the cords and adapted to lengage also the said pins.

The mode of operation of this part of my invention isas follows: When the rings are released from the pins, as shown at the right of Fig. 1, thecontractile force of the springs G G draws the blocks J J apart until the curtains are drawn apart entirely from the door in front of which they hang.' The pins m m,..

being connected with the outermost rings of the portire fabric, carry the latter with them, thereby folding the curtain fabrics longitudinally, as shown at the left of Fig. 1.

When it is desired to draw the curtains or bar, and are inclosed by the casings B Bi The construction and arrangement with respect to each other of the bar, sliding blocks, and end caps are similar to that represented in Fig. 1.

In Figs. 4t and 5 I have represented my invention as applied to an ordinary window-cornice. In this case I am enabled to dispense with the hollow bar by employing a rod, R, attached to the sides of the cornice C', said rod being encircled by the springs, and by suspending a wire or small rod, S, above the springs, as shown, said wire or rod forming a rest or support for the rings C. In other respects the construction and operation of this modification of my invention is identical with that hercinbefore described.

It will be noted that in all of the modifications of my invention the rings suspending the fabric are supported, not by the spring itself, or in such manner as to interfere with the closing of the coils of the spring, but by independent devices outside of the springs. The rings, therefore, will have no tendency to retard the action of the springs by falling between the coilconvolutions. It will be observed, moreover, that whatever the size of the suspending rings, their upper portions will always rest upon their supports directly in the path of movement of the upwardlyprojecting pins.

I am aware that it has been heretofore proposed to operate suspended fabrics by means of springs located within a hollow supportingbar, and I do not broadly cla-im such as of my invention.

I desire to be understood as not restricting portire, as it is evident that itinay be applied with useful results to all curtains of similar character to those represented in the drawings.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

l. A device for supporting and operating portires, curtains, and the like, consisting of a hollow bar longitudinally slotted at its upperportion, and supporting the suspendingrings, in combination with extensible springs, one end of each spring having a ixed point of attachment, sliding blocks connected with the free ends of said springs, and having outwardly-projecting pins traveling within the bar-slot and connected with one of the suspending-rings, and drawing-cords connected with the sliding blocks, substantially as described. A

2. A device for supporting and operating portires, curtains, and the like, consisting of a support for the suspending-rings, in combination with extensible springs located below the line of support of said rings, one end of each spring having a-iixed point of attachment, sliding blocks connected with the free ends oi' said springs and having outwardlyprojecting pins connected with one of the suspending-rings, anddrawing-cords connected with the sliding blocks, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY D. B. LEFFERTS.

Vitnesses:

J oI-IN M. FARLEY, CHAs B. BENSON. 

